JNU: Dalit scholar sent life threatening letters to VC

A Dalit student of Jawaharlal Nehru University​(JNU) has sent two letters to the Vice Chancellor threatening to end his life if his research grant is not extended next year.

Univarsity’s Controller of Examinations, H Sharma, said that the extension of his senior research fellowship was withheld as he had not been able to get clearance from the finance officer; outgoing Vice Chancellor SK Sopory said the matter will be resolved soon and asked the versity’s chief security officer to keep an eye on the student.

Alleging that he has been “discriminated and harassed” by his department which is trying to “block his PhD”, the Dalit researcher has demanded resumption of his fellowship in a week’s time or he would commit suicide.

In another letter, he contended that he was absent from the university due to death of four members of his family, including his father and brother, and now that he has resumed his studies; he wants his fellowship to continue.

According to a source, the researcher deregistered himself as a JNU student between December 2013 and July 2015.

The threat letter by the student came at the time when there is widespread outrage over death of 26-year-old Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar, who was found hanging in a hostel room in Hyderabad Central University on January 17.